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Anti-ship missile

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RBS-15 missile launched from a Sisu missile carriage.
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RBS-15 missile launched from a Sisu missile carriage.
An anti-ship missile is a military missile designed for use against naval surface shipsAlthough AShMs are primarily designed for attacking ships, several recent missiles have also been made for, and marketed as, being capable of attacking coastal targets such as military harbour facilities. Others, such as the Tomahawk, are multi-target made from the outset.. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming, subsonic or supersonic, and use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing. The typical acronym for the phrase is ASM, but AShM can also be used to avoid confusion with air-to-surface missiles.

Contents

History

Anti-ship missiles were among the first instances of short range guided missiles during the Second World War. The German Luftwaffe used them to some effect against Allied shipping and sank or damaged some large warships successfully before the Allies devised countermeasures (principally radio jamming).

Use

Anti-ship missiles can be launched from a variety of platforms:

AShMs are a significant threat to modern warships and were used extensively in the 1982 Falklands War. In 1987, a US Navy guided-missile frigate, the USS Stark, was hit by an Exocet AShM fired by an Iraqi Mirage F-1. The Stark was damaged but was able to make it to a friendly port for repair. The next year, AShMs were fired by both US and Iranian forces in Operation Praying Mantis in the Persian Gulf. During this naval battle, several Iranian warships were hit by US AShMs (and by Standard SAMs doing double-duty in this role).

In 2006, Hezbollah forces fired a Chinese C-802 AShM at the Israeli corvette INS Hanit, inflicting heavy damage. A second missile in this salvo sunk an Egyptian merchant ship, as well.

Countermeasures

Countermeasures against AShMs include:

Passive countermeasures against AShMs include the use of stealth features in the design of modern warships to reduce their radar cross section (RCS) which reduces the ships radar signature and also measures to reduce their infra-red and acoustic signatures too. The aim of making the ships stealthly is to reduce the risk of detection and to make them harder targets for attacking AShMs. Examples include the US Arleigh Burke class destroyers and the French La Fayette class frigates.

List of AShMs

World War II

NATO countries

(All missiles based on radar homing unless otherwise noted.)

USSR/Russia

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(Listed by NATO reporting name, followed by Soviet/Russian model name in parentheses.)

People's Republic of China

Taiwan (Republic of China)

Japan

Others

Notes

Trivia

During the Falklands War, the HMS Sheffield, a 4,820 ton Type 42 Destroyer was struck by a single Exocet anti-ship missile and sunk. It was reported that the Exocet missile failed to explode, but its rocket fuel set the ship ablaze and sunk the Sheffield anyway.

Years later, during Operation Praying Mantis, the US Navy hit the Iranian light frigate IS Sahand with 3 Harpoon missiles, 4 AGM-123 Skipper rocket-propelled bombs, a Walleye laser-guided bomb, and several 1,000 lb bombs. Despite the large number of munitions and successful hits, the 1,540 ton IS Sahand did not sink until fire reached its munitions magazine, causing it to explode. [link]

List of missiles
Air-to-air missile (AAM) | Air-to-surface missile (ASM) | Surface-to-air missile (SAM) | Surface-to-surface missile (SSM)
Ballistic missile | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) | Submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) | Anti-ballistic missile (ABM)
Cruise missile | Anti-ship missile (AShM) | Anti-submarine Rocket (ASROC) | Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) | Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) | Anti-radiation missile
Wire-guided missile | Infrared guidance | Beam riding | Laser guidance | Active radar guidance | Semi-active radar guidance


Lists of Aircraft | Aircraft manufacturers | Aircraft engines | Aircraft engine manufacturers

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